Education inequalities

Jennette Arnold: Research published in October by the LSE gives evidence that disadvantaged students have fallen behind their more privileged peers. The biggest fear is that pupils will suffer permanent ‘educational scarring’ with a clear distinction between the highest and lowest income backgrounds. What work are you doing to help ensure children from lower income households are not left behind?

Sadiq Khan: It is vital that we understand and mitigate the dangers of widening attainment gaps, especially for disadvantaged children, young people and families. The action we are taking includes many of the Young Londoners Fund projects are already providing catch-up support like that delivered by West London Zone’s school-based link workers. I have announced a further £2.1million to help 15,000 more young Londoners boost their skills and improve their mental health. My Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) and Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) support programmes help some of London’s most disadvantaged children, adding to our investment in after-school activities.
My London Curriculum Team is mapping online offers from 100 cultural institutions to virtually connect children with the incredible opportunities for learning across our city. We have extended our London Enterprise Adviser Network (LEAN) to 50 special schools to improve students’ career outcomes. We run events with the London College of Fashion and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning to help children understand how they can forge a career in these sectors. Looking forward, our London Recovery Programme has established the mission that by 2024, all young people in need are entitled to a personal mentor and all young Londoners have access to good quality local youth activities.

Jennette Arnold: Thank you very much. MrMayor, thank you for your detailed answer, especially about the personal mentorship scheme that you are funding. MrMayor, some months ago, due to pressure placed on him and his underwhelming Education Secretary, [The Rt Hon] GavinWilliamson [MP], [The Rt Hon] BorisJohnson [MP, Prime Minister] announced a big catch-up plan for pupils. The funding allocated is enough to pay for about 250,000 pupils. That is only 18% of the roughly 1.4million children eligible for free school meals. I am sure you will agree with me that this is not an appropriate response to this type of crisis.
Would you agree to write to the Prime Minister or his ineffectual Education Secretary of State echoing my concerns - and I am sure yours - and include a request for an update on how many young Londoners have benefited from this national big catch-up plan that he announced? Thank you.

Sadiq Khan: Chair, can I thank the Assembly Member for once again being an advocate and a champion for children who do not have a voice? What I am happy to do is to liaise with London Councils as well, because like the Member and like many teachers, who work incredibly hard at the coalface, councils will know what is going on. What I will do is write to the Secretary of State after speaking to colleagues in relation to the so-called catch-up fund and the plans that the Government has got to address this issue. Just to remind colleagues, some children were out of school from March until the middle of September and some of those who are back in school have not just lost eight or nine months’ worth of education, but are really struggling with the catch-up they have got to do, with the possibility of further lockdowns in the future because of the way the Government has dealt with this. I am more than happy to write to the Government. What I will do is ensure a copy is sent to the Assembly Member and colleagues in the Assembly as well.

Jennette Arnold: Thank you so much, MrMayor. Yes, you are so right to highlight the length and the impact on our children. The London School of Economics (LSE) produced a report and talked about educational scarring. We just have got to take this seriously. I wonder if I could ask you to look at how the digital exclusion has been exemplified by the pandemic, given that there is now this expectation that learning and work will be carried out online. Do you need to do more to ensure that the most disadvantaged students are not left behind because of digital exclusion? Thank you.

Sadiq Khan: Spot on. Chair, just to reassure you, I have experienced speaking to children across London. Many are borrowing their mum’s mobile phones to have their lessons. That is what some children are doing. I have supported a scheme that has benefited my old school, Ernest Bevin College, to encourage surplus laptops to be given to children. The issue is digital literacy; the issue is not having the right equipment; the issue is not having good enough quality broadband. That is why it is really important for Assembly MemberArnold to raise this at MQT. We are taking steps forward to address this issue, but this is another example about this pandemic not simply highlighting inequalities but exacerbating them.

Jennette Arnold: Thank you very much.

Proposed Infrastructure Levy impact on affordable housing delivery in London

Nicky Gavron: One of the proposals in the government’s Planning for the Future Whitepaper is to introduce a new infrastructure levy and abolish S106 and CIL as we know it. What impact do you think this would have on the delivery of affordable housing and other social infrastructure in London?

Sadiq Khan: I am deeply concerned about the Government proposal for a new infrastructure levy. Section106 agreements and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) are key tools for securing affordable housing, infrastructure and other public benefits and replacing them would be extremely damaging. The proposed levy is a form of development tax that would monetise planning benefits, but would not secure measures to address the impacts of development and support delivery. The proposed levy would be paid after development has been completed, meaning transport improvements, schools and health facilities funded by development would not be in place until long after they are needed. Including affordable housing in the levy would be particularly problematic. A one-size-fits-all national approach would secure less affordable housing while also putting lower value developments at risk of not happening at all, the worst of both worlds.
A recent report by the Affordable Housing Commission (AHC) found that more than eight in ten social landlords surveyed expect that the proposals will deliver less onsite affordable housing. If the mayoral CIL is incorporated into the new levy, this could reduce and delay funding for major London-wide infrastructure projects. It is vital that affordable housing continues to be dealt with through Section106 agreements, that infrastructure rates are set at a reasonable local level and that funding is provided at an early stage in the development process. The Government’s plans would be a disaster.

Nicky Gavron: Thank you very much for that very sobering answer and also setting out so comprehensively the impact that the abandonment of Section106 and this new infrastructure levy would actually have on the delivery of affordable housing and particularly social rented housing. I wanted to ask about the --

Navin Shah: Sorry, there is a problem with transmission. We cannot hear you clearly. Sorry, can we stop the clock and sort out the problem with sound? Your voice is breaking up completely. Shall we try to get back to Assembly MemberGavron and move on to the next question?

City Hall as an anti-racist organisation

Navin Shah: What measures are you putting in place for City Hall to become ‘anti-racist organisation’ to deal with structural and institutional racism and create an inclusive environment through your toolkit for businesses?

Sadiq Khan: Being anti-racist involves acknowledging that systemic racism remains pervasive across society. I am committed to tackling inequality in everything we do. Your background, gender and ethnicity should have no bearing on what you can achieve. I have already put in place measures to improve racial diversity and create inclusive workplaces with the GLA group, but I am committed to go even further. Since 2016, representation of BAME staff in the GLA has increased to its highest-ever level of 30%. We recently set up a GLA race equity action group, chaired by senior leaders in partnership with BAME staff, to push things forward faster. Our work includes taking positive action to improve the progression of BAME GLA staff, commissioning support for GLA colleagues impacted by anti-black racism and hosting conversation sessions for GLA teams, designed in partnership with our BAME staff network.
To take this further, we will be launching a GLA-wide cultural change programme, underpinned by an independent review into the structural barriers that prevent BAME and specifically black progression. The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) will launch a similar review. I will also target support for the proportion of black male and black female staff across the GLA and MOPAC, specifically leadership teams, to reflect the London working-age population. I want our organisation to reflect the city we serve.

Navin Shah: Thank you, MrMayor. I personally hugely welcome your initiative. I hope it works. I am sure the Members will want to and will monitor and press hard that it actually works and delivers.
You mentioned a cultural change programme and announced an independent review. What will be the actual terms of reference, membership and timetable for this proposed review?

Sadiq Khan: Thank you. This is an issue that the ChiefOfficer is working on as part of a transformation programme. The Chief Officer, as you would expect, is consulting the BAME staff network and others in the Corporate Management Team as well to make sure that we get this right. Over the coming weeks, after consulting BAME colleagues, she will be able to say more, I will be able to say more about the terms of reference going forward specifically in relation to black progression, which is a real source of concern.

Navin Shah: MrMayor, what would or what should the anti-racist City Hall, including MOPAC, look like at the end of the next mayoral term?

Sadiq Khan: Good question. What I am hoping to see in relation to the anti-racism work we are doing, the fruits being a number of issues. The workforce, the way it looks, we hope to be different, particularly in senior positions. As you know, I was fully transparent in publishing pay of staff and that showed a gender pay gap, but also an ethnicity pay gap. We have got an action plan to close the gender pay gap. Good news there. We need to close the ethnic pay gap as well. We are making progress there. We want to see that closed or closer together. Also a more inclusive organisational culture, measured by the surveys we do - you know the surveys we do - and feedback we ask from our staff networks. We would want to see some progress being made there. It is really important that we are a beacon for the city and our city is a beacon for the rest of the world as well.

Navin Shah: MrMayor, an interesting part of your announcement is what you call a toolkit for business. I believe inequality and a disproportionate impact on BAME communities has come under sharper focus during the pandemic. How will this be tackled with your new toolkit for business?

Sadiq Khan: This is the fruits of the really good work done by DrDebbieWeekes-Bernard [Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement] and before her, MatthewRyder [QC, former Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement] in relation to working with the Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG) around what is called the Workforce Integration Network (WIN). If you remember, our focus was helping black male Londoners in digital and construction and they have been really good examples of what we can do. We are using the experience there to create a toolkit that can help other employers in London help black male Londoners, particularly in construction, and tech as well. These are future-proofed jobs, but unfortunately there are too few black male Londoners taking part in these future-proofed, well-paid decent jobs. We want more of them to do so. The toolkit is something really easy that employers can use to improve their workforce. All the evidence shows that leads to increased productivity as well.

Navin Shah: Thank you, MrMayor.

Tony Arbour: Assembly MemberGavron.